Photoplay magazine was the nation’s premiere movie fan magazine, “fan” being a relatively new term to describe those who were fanatic about moving pictures. It was established in 1911 and became the most influential magazine in the film industry. Originally its cover shots of stars were the work of artists. Only after color photography had advanced sufficiently were photos used. Here is the first issue cover:
During the 1920s the magazine claimed to have 2.5 million readers, although its circulation was considerably lower, in the hundreds of thousands. It ceased publication in 1980. I like looking at the issues from the Roaring Twenties for clothing styles, advertisements, figures of speech, and hairstyles that I can use in my writing.
